Sol Club Cayo Coco Reviews

Pleasant experience in this hotel.... resort for a relaxing and peaceful time away from the hustle and bustle of the uk life...

The hotel is clean and comfortable, the rooms are cleaned every day, with linen changed upon request. Staff are friendly and helpful. I have no complaints about the hotel whatsoever, on our first day the entire management team came and introduced themselves to us advising us to let them know if there was anything they could do to make our stay more comfortable. Everyone was friendly. The rep couldnt do enough for us. On excursions - I recommend 'Hey that's what I call cuba' ( a real fun day out) and overnight in Havana with club tropicana. Only go on ' Che in a Day' if you are a real Che Gavara fanatic, 6 hours on a coach can get pretty boring in the end. We celebrated our first wedding anniversary at the hotel and had a fab time.

This hotel is a bit dated in the rooms, but you are only there to sleep and change in them. The showers are ok. The hotel is kept very well and the gardens are very nice. Staff are friendly and if you tip the barman you get served quicker for your stay and they bring drinks to you when your by the pool. Look after them and they will look after you. The food was ok but it got a little repetitive. For the money we paid for this holiday you couldn't go wrong.

My god, what a horrible place. Staff were very rude and unhelpful, cleanliness and food hygiene non existant. Still fighting with thomas cook over compensation nearly a year later.

The hotel was fantastic, lots to do, plenty places to grab a bite to eat and very very clean.

this hotel is fab ! were do i start. first impressions were great we were greeted by the hotels annimation team doing a little seranading and gave us a nice soft drink which was great.. we checked in then we were shown to our rooms the rooms were great and cleaned dialy and the cleaners left swans and love hearts on your bed made out of towels which was a very nice guesture of them. the animation team were soo friendly also about the hotel and there when u needed them. special mention to orlando at the bar. the beaches aare a tropical paridise.. all the water sports u could ask for are there and there is something for everyone. there is a nightclub on the complex and opens at eleven on a night and stays open till two.. its a very friendly atmosphere in the club. we went on a few trips whilst we were there and my eyes were opened on eveyone of them.. we went to moron and i didnt realsise how fortunate we are . teh trip made me appriciate life more.. the holiday all in all was fab im going bk again in march this year and hope nothings changed at all..!

The hotel looks a bit like butlins at a glance but it has everything you need. The rooms were clean and comfortable, safe, fridge, air con, tv, balcony etc. The beach was amazing and there were always beds availabile. The lagoon was also on the other side of the hotel with little huts and it was more quiet over that side. The staff worked very hard and put on a different show every night.

There is nothing outside the hotel but thats why we went as wanted a relaxing holiday. There was a disco every night if you did want to stay up.

The only thing I did not like was the fact that there were a couple of pikey English families who did not make us proud of being British (but suppose u get this everywhere)!!! If they were at the pool we went the beach!!!

i have stayed at this hotel five times now and going back again in august and november of this year. i have a fantastic time and feel like i am at home, with all the staff. i often go across to the mainland and travel around for this is the real cuba and the people are just so welcoming. in a couple of years i plan on moving to this beautiful country for i know i will never look back. i have many friends there now who are more family than friends and cannot wait to return time and time again

We returned back from cayo coco on the 19th march 2008. Having spent 14 nights all inclusive their. We have never been before.The people were so friendly in the hotel,very grateful to be tipped as they earn so little over their,however that does not stop them smiling.The hotel was not the beast but for a first visit it was ok.The hotel is very clean and the room was cleaned everyday, however they would miss things.The staff there could not do enough for you, in the restaraunts, bars or round the pool.The food was basic expected more sea food cooked fresh. so you had the buffet which you can eat as much as you like.then you have an ala carte restaraunt which you need to book, one free vist per week you are there.We ate their and had fab lobster.The other beach restaraunt,again need to book was terrible no good for kids and the food was terrible.The beaches were fab clean as you see on the t.v.Lots of water activities. however some not for the faint hearted. Flying over your resort in a speed boat???????? swim with the dolphins, i highly reccoment this,we flew on a plane as old as my whole family put together, but what an experience.the dolphins were amazing my kids swam with them also.When we arrived where the cubans live my eyes were opened,how they live,there homes so poor these people.The pool bar Orlando must get a mention from me. he was the nicest waiter ever so grand at his job.The pool music was a nightmare all day everyday the same cd played driving you round the bend.On complaing they said "its part of our entertainment" well many people complained but still the same cd played on.The entertainment staff could not be faulted bless all of them.If you are going with kids and expect some time out while they go to kids club, think again.terrible kids club consisted of a room with a tv and beds???? my 6year old went once and never went back.They have a mini disco in the eve at 9pm for half an hour.However they played in the pool making friends for 2weeks.If you like riding that was fun i did that and we galloped through the sea wow. All in all i would go back again but to a different hotel as we did see better while we were out their.But this package was cheap so you get what you pay for.Take high factor creams and the sun is so hot you will burn

First, the flight

If you can, upgrade to Premier. Money well spent! First on, first off and excellent service in between. Watching a choice of films and playing games really helped pass the time.

Short transfer to hotel at the end of a long causeway.

Room not tready on arrival ( seems they never are )but available after 45 minutes - time for a drink in the lobby bar ( 24 hours )

The hotel is dated and in need of refurbishment. Unfortunately this was started whilst we were there! The pool was closed for 4 days during our stay ( which we were warned of by First Choice, when we booked - others weren't ), but building work continued for days following in knocking down walls around the outside amphitheatre and rebuilding new ones. Our room was repainted externally while were in it!

Hotel was downgraded from 4+ stars to 3 by Sovereign holidays during our stay. About right....

We had a lagoon room, whch was OK, but again looking dated. Our request for tea and coffee and for the mini bar to be stocked was repeated twice daily for 5 days until my wife threatened a sit in! Thereafter you need to ask daily for replenishment. Also, be specific - you need to ask for milk, sugar and mugs! (We borrowed a spoon from the restaurant!)

CD did not work either - 2 days to replace.

Maid kept the room clean and tidy each day with occassional towel sculptures.

No waiter service at the pool.

Food in the buffet restaurant was excellent. Morning omlettes superb. Service generally very good. Open seating, but try to sit in the asame area so you get to know the waiters, and they you.We tried the Italian, which was good, but with a limited menu.

Did not try the other restaurants because of the serious mosquito problem. The international on the lagoon and the Cuban near the beach are open and we continually saw people coming to the buffet having abandoned meals in both place to escape being bitten.

Mosquitos were a serious problem. 24/7 - not just dusk - and in swarms. Jungle formula was like BBQ sauce to these babies!
The hotel sprayed insecticide twice a day but this just seemed to move them around - The on-site doctor was kept busy.

If you react badly to bites then do not go.

Trip:

Dolphins were sensational and unlike other comments, the overnight hotel was fine. Our guide, Fidel ( no, not that one! ) was excellent. Also on South side of the island, mossies were less of an issue.

Catamaran trip, with snokeling off the reef was a superb day.

For the flight back, make sure you book the vip lounge, for air conditioned comfort and drinks and snacks included.

Would not go back.....

i have just arrived home and all i can say is thank god i am home. i only went to this dive for a week and if someone offered me a flight home after day one i would have jumped at the chance. 4 star what a joke.

on arrival the airport is extremly small so expect to wait. transfer only 10 - 15 mins so very quick and at the airport we were given our all inclusive passes and room keys, so on arrival at the hotel there is no need to wait at reception to get booked in. the concierge will bring your luggage up to your room though they will stand and wait for a tip even if you have no money on you. this was the theme for the whole holiday, no tip no service, (i thought i paid thomas cook for an all inclusive holiday!!!) the room is very basic though you have two double beds, fridge, tv and safety deposit box but the air conditioning only just works and you are only allowed 1 toilet roll per day and trust me you need more once you sample the food and drink.

breakfast buffet style with chef cooking fresh omlettes and french toast. lunch poor dinner worse. both meals, the same food and cold, not cooked flys everywhere and expect the following day same food but with a saurce over it. i think this is why my husband had acute food poisioning for the whole holiday. this is an all inclusive holiday however the drinks were that bad i ended up buying my own bottled drinks for the duration of my holiday.
the beach is beautiful though unless you tip you wont get a sunbed.

overall what can i say ' dont go if you expect 4 star standard as this is certainly not.

We have just got back from the Sol Club Cayo Coco staying last week in June 07 first week July 07, and having read some of the reviews on this hotel we had to submit a review ourselves. We had an excellent time here the hotel is classed as a 4 star rating and we would say the accommodation and surrounding areas i.e pool, and tennis courts, mini golf, etc are of a 3 star standard. But the food, drink and staff are 4 star plus standard. The staff really go out of their way to make you feel welcome, it is true if you tip them you do get a better service, like cold glasses instead of plastic ones, and at meal times they will always refill your glass without having to ask. We only tipped about 1 Peso a time which is enough as they dont earn much about £30 a month the rep told us not to leave big tips. The beaches are out of this world, at the rear of the pool area near the gym you will find a small wood bridge going to a beach called playa largo, this beach is brill, it never gets busy and it is paradise to look at. we would suggest trying the other hotels you can use as well, we liked the Tryp its bigger than the sol but the staff didn't seem as friendly.

We would suggest taking the bus up to Cayo Guillermero to the Sol there and then get a Taxi to Playa Pilar. This beach is in the world's top ten and let me tell you this is the best beach we have beeen on in our lives, it is paradise, it has powdery white sands and crystal clear warm waters, the fish will touch and swim around you. You can tell that there has never been any development around here, you have to make this trip a priority trust me. We also did the Speedboats trip which was fantastic, you get to drive your own speedboat and at speed, and get to go snorkleing as well, its only about 3 hours long but is well worth the money. If you are planning are going to the Sol Cayo Coco you wont be dissapointed, and we would suggest this hotel to friends of ours, we truley had an excellent time and the staff are very friendly, the food is good, and try the a la cart as well this is very good. The weather was excellent and very hot, we never used under factor 20 - 30 and both got brill tans.

All in all this holiday was brilliant and we would defo go back.

Firstly, this hotel is classed as a 4 star, we were so disappointed when we arrived - no way is this a 4 star hotel !

The rooms are clean but basic, if you look up in the bathroom you can see straight through the ceiling and see all the wires and piping.

The roof in the hotel reception/lobby and dining roof leaks BADLY. We had quite a lot of rain during our stay and the lobby area was constantly flooded. The roof in the dining room was patched up with what looked like muslin and plant pots placed underneath to catch the water. One teenager slipped on the wet floor and cut her head open. I expect the outside area to be slippy, but not everywhere inside too. A window in the dining room fell onto a 10 month old baby, who had to be flown to the mainland in emergency. Apparently the window was broken and they had nailed it with one single nail. The hotel manager told the parents that ";Accidents Happen";.

We were told on our welcome meeting that we were expected to tip. On an all-inclusive holiday I expect to be able to leave my wallet in the safe and tip at the end of the holiday - not so here. The staff/waiters expect to be tipped THEN they will give you a decent service. If you dont tip - don't expect to even get any cutlery on your table - totally ridiculous.

We were told the island was like the Bounty Advert paradise island - not so, I could have been in Costa Del Sol. The is the worst plave I have been on any holiday.

On a good note: the food is really good and a wide variety on offer. It does get a little monotonous, but after 14 days of eating in the same place, this is expected. Massive prawns, fish, chicken is cooked to order in front of you. There is fresh pasta dishes and fresh pizzas all cooked to order too.

The evening entertainment if really good too, the animation team work so hard - they really should be congratulated.

The pool is nice and child friendly, but I can't see it is cleaned very often.

There is a on-site doctor who is available 24 hours and reasonably priced.

Further note: take plenty supplies of everything. In the shop, the only suncream available is factor 4 or factor 30. There is nothing to buy to keep the kids amused, no inflatables for the pool or anything. The red mozi spray in the shop is very good - and needed. The mozi's are plentiful and very hungry!!!

We didn't have very good weather, but this wouldn't have mattered if the hotel had been of a decent standard - there was nothing to keep us amused.

We really considered moving hotels within the first few days (I wish we had now, and we couldn't wait to get home.

First is first, BOOK PREMIUM or at least extra leg room. My boyfriend and I braved economy the 8 hours there and back, and there is no space to move. Very, very uncomfortable.

We arrived on Tuesday evening to rain, it then continued to rain til Friday, which left us with 10 days of pure sunshine.

The resort is only 10 minutes from the airport and there is no air traffic noise to speak of.

When we arrived at the Sol we were greeted by some of the animation team with non-alcoholic cocktails, warm but nice all the same. There was a long que but it didn't take very long to get checked in, as long as you've already filled in your checking-in slip before you get to the desk!

One of staff took our bags to our room while we ventured to find it. We were on the 1st floor by the pool and restaurants, good location.

The room itself is a good size, an out-of the-way bathroom and sink area with a wardrobe by the front door, and on to the actual bedroom with 2 double beds, a fridge, dressing tables, and Cable TV. There was also a balcony, but we never used it because we tend to get eaten by mosquitos wherever we go!

The maid comes everyday and if you want towels changed you have to put them in the bath. Also if you want bed linen changed there is a card you have to place on the bed.

The pool area is rather small, still quite a lot of sunbeds though. There is a towel service too so no need to bring your own. ALTHOUGH you have to get there when it opens at 9.30 otherwise all the clean towels will be gone and you have dirty towels til the next day. There a plenty of sun beds on the beaches. The busy beach is best as it actually has a breeze, the quiet beach is lovely but there is no breeze whatsoever.

The buffet restaurant. Do not get your hopes up. My boyfriend and I moaned about other people only eating burgers and chips but after a couple of days we found out why. The food is awful. I don't normally mind all inclusive food as it's how I travel every year, and even on mainland Cuba (my holidays last year) the food was repetitive but edible. The buffet does have chefs cooking pasta and burgers and hot dogs, its advisable to go there.

The International restaurant ";Don Diego"; is quite nice, makes a change from the buffet. The Cuban a la carte was empty every night.

I found the day time activities team very annoying. They try very hard, but are very loud and are contantly on the mic shouting in to it, its not relaxing at all! We stayed on the beach almost everyday due to this and also because there's no breeze by the pool either.

Beware of the drinks, the alcohol measures are lethal, they serve nice beer, the wine is awful, and the mixers are flat.

Beware of the ice, they use tap water which has a high mineral content and will give you an upset stomach, a lady on the plane spent the last week of her holiday attatched to a drip due to a upset stomach and dehydration!

We went on one trip which was the catamaran which was excellent. You are taken to two coral reefs and given snorkel gear, you can keep the snorkel but NOT the masks at the end of it. You are cooked lunch on board the boat, or rice, mixed veg, sauce, lobster tils, shrimp and chicken.

DO NOT EAT THE SHRIMP. On the boat or the hotel. You can see when you open them up, theres black stuff inside, which is actually the poo they have digested from the sewers in the sea...

The boat also takes you to Pilar Beach for an hour, a beautiful beach which looks exactly like the one pictured in imagination.

All in all, it was an ok holiday for the price paid (it's the cheapest hotel there, you get what you pay for) but I would not go back again.

My advise: Go to mainland to a place called Guardalavaca and the Occidental Grand Playa Turquesa Hotel, much better!

We travelled from Manchester Airport to the Melia Cayo Coco with Thomas Cook and stayed for 2 weeks from Saturday the 2nd of June to Saturday the 16th of June 2007.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed in a lagoon room, we had a gorgeous view over the lagoon to the forest beyond, bring your binoculars as a lot of the wildlife inhabits the far side of the lagoon, having said that you can throw bread for the fish from your balcony, the water is crystal clear and we saw about 6 varieties of fish and Jelly Fish and StarFish just from sitting outside our room.
The Bed was huge, big enough for 4 of us!
The room was very spacious with a large glass sliding door onto the balcony, meaning you could lay in bed and gaze across the lagoon.

LOCATION

The hotel is only a short bus ride from the airport but not close enough to be disturbed at all by the planes.

WEATHER

While we stayed it was mainly Dry and Sunny Mornings so we were up at 7 am most days and early on the beach where we soaked up the sun which was already warm and enjoyed the Sea.
It clouded over and thundered at midday most days but we had already had a good 4 or 5 hours of Sun, Sea, Sand and Drinks by then so found this didn't spoil are holiday at all as we were able to look out to the lagoon from our room or drink in the bar.

THE SEA

The Beach is fantastic, this is where we spent most of our time, White Sands and Crystal Clear Blue Water.
Having never snorkelled before and not being a strong swimmer I found this spot idyllic, there are Coral reefs only a metre or so out from standing depth which are teeming with Tropical fish, it was a truly amazing experience and one I will never forget, don't forget to bring your own Snorkelling Gear and an Underwater Camera. While we were there we saw a Huge Ray, a Barracudda of about 40lbs and some huge Snappers which are actually quite friendly and often swim along side you! There is also a huge array of other fish, incuding Bright Blue and Yellow and Black and White Fish of all Shapes and Sizes! If your not into snorkelling you will also see many of the silver fish varietys swimming around you in the water and many of these you can feed straight from your hand!
Definitly my Best bit of the holiday and well worth coming for on its own!

HOTEL GROUNDS and POOL

The hotel has well kept gardens which are a pleasure to walk around and the Pool although there is only One was never too busy, although you can understand why when there is such a stunning beach just a few metres away!
Having said that the pool was very nice although isn't very deep for swimming in.
It is surrounded by its own waterway full of gorgeous lillies, tropical fish and the odd turtle, we also often saw a heron like creature eating fish here with a Vivid Blue Beak and one or 2 other curious Water Birds!

FOOD

We mainly eat in the Buffet Restaurant which had a good choice of food although often had no Tea, so if you like Tea then bring your own.
On 2 nights we eat in the Italian and the International which both had nice views.
The International in particular had a great view over the lagoon and I would whole heartedly reccomend the Lobster Soup for starter with a fresh Roll, it really was delicious, it is very romantic and we had a wonderful waitress and even got played soft music as we eat by a duet on a guitar and violin.
Almost every day we were up by 7.30 for breakfast which ensured a good choice of bacon, eggs, pancakes, omlettes and various other fruits, cereal and toast.

HOTEL STAFF

Entertainment

Didn't really watch this as we made our own! and met some great couples out there to socialise with......HI CLAIRE and BARRY, IF YOUR READING!

Carnival

We went to the Carnival one night, the Hotel Floats were very good but it was rather long and the Cuban dances in between were a bit samey! However the Melia Entertainment Team were fantastic and even gave us a ride back at 1.30 in the morning when the coach didn't turn up!
Just remember if you go anywhere that when they say Half an hour that it is a Cuban Half Hour which means anywhen in the next 2 hours!

Maid

Our maid was fantastic, she cleaned our room every day and made our towels into Swans, Birds and Butterflys ready to greet us when we returned from the Beach.

Gardeners

Gardeners popped out from the shrubs every now and again and gave my wife various animals the had made from Leaves and Flowers which were quite a work of art, not sure how much gardening they got done!

Bar Staff

The Bar Staff were all very friendly and helpful and mixed some lovely drinks, one of my favourites mas a Mojito from the Beach Bar which was always meticulously prepared.

Chefs and Waiters/Waitresses

All these were friendly but some better than others, the ones that were best I tipped Once or Twice during our stay.

Minibar Stockists

When we arrived we were told we needed to request it when we wanted our mini bar stocked but for the first week they stocked it every day with 2 Beer, 2 Coke, 2 Sprite and Water! However after a week this stopped and we had to request it to be stocked for the following day, not sure why but hopefully they will improve upon this for future guests.

TIPPING

In general it is a custom to tip in Cuba but don't feel you need to all the time, I guess we tipped about 20 times during the 2 weeks to our favourite staff who gave us the best service, we only tipped 1 Peso each which is a little over 60p but it was much appreciated and cost us probably only about £15 the whole holiday which you wouldn't get 1 meal for over here let alone be waited on hand and foot your whole holiday!

MOSQUITOS

I thought i'd mention the Mosquito's for all you worried about them.
We stayed on the lagoon in the rainy season although it mainly only rained afternoons/evening.
We took with us JUNGLE REPELLENT, LEMON/CITRUS SHOWER GEL and SHAMPOO/ NON FRAGRANCED SUNCREAM/NO PERFUMES OR AFTERSHAVES OR BODYSPRAYS AND THE CLICK BITE ZAPPER and this was perfect for us.
On the first night I sat outside on our balcony and got bit once or twice but put no repellent on and if I didnt scratch the bites had all gone in the morning, infact i've seen more mosquitos in this country! Only a couple of people got bit lots and all I can say is what we brought worked for us. If you have a bad reaction to Mosi Bites i.e Swell up as some did then don't come here as it is on a Lagoon so some mosi's are to be expected but it certainly didnt ruin our holiday and they do fumigate the complex early morning and early evening which certainly helps reduce any possible problem.

TOP TIP

If your buying gifts to take home get them in the airport, they are half the price of the hotel shops!

Overall we had a fantastic break and would definitly go back if we could afford too!